Cash register



Patented Aug. 2, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT BERNIS M. SHIPLEY AND EARL E. HOLT, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNORS' TO THE NIA- 'TIONAL CLASH REGISTER COMPANY, OF DAYTON, OHIO, A GORPOB-ATION F MARY- LAND CASH REGISTER Application filed May 23, 1929. Serial No. 385,441.

In this invention, the locking mechanism takes the form of means to prevent the release for operation of a cash register or accounting machine of the type disclosed in the above-mentioned patents and application.

The printing mechanism disclosed in the patent to Shipley, No. 1,524,755 and in the application for Letters Patent, above referred to, prints on an insertable record material or slip and severs a portion therefrom to be retained in the machine as a voucher of the transaction. A receptacle is provided in which the severed vouchers accumulate, but operation of the machine after the voucher receptacle is filled to capacity may result in damage to the machine, or to the vouchers.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a machine of the type disclosed in the above-mentioned patents, with novel mechanism to lock the machine against operation when the voucher receptacle is filled to capacity.

Another object is to provide a locking device controlled by a sliding platform within the voucher receptacle, the platform adapted to advance progressively in one direction as the vouchers are successively deposited in the voucher box, and so arranged that, when the platform arrives at a certain position, the register or accounting machine will he automatically locked against operation.

With these and incidental objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts. the essential elements of which are set forth in appended claims and a preferred '1; V form or embodiment of which 1s herelnafter described with reference to the drawings which accompany and form a part ofthis specification.

In the drawings Fig. l is a sectional view of the voucher receptacle. I,

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the machine release bar and the locking mechanism.

, Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of a part 1 of the release bar l0cl' ing mechanism.

'Fig. it'is a view in side elevation of 'th voucher receptacle.

Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the contacle, takenon line 55, Fig. 1, looking in the direction ofth-e arrows.

Means is provided, in registers of the type disclosed in the above-mentioned patents, to normally lock the machines against operation, until after the desired amount keys and other special'keys with which such machines are usually provided have been depressed, the machines may be released for operation by depression of a machine release bar (see also the patent to Shipley, No. 1,602,596, issued October 12, 1926,).

Machine release bar The cash register or accounting machine with which the present invention is adapted to be used, isnormally locked against release for operation, and may be released for operation, by mechanism operated by depression of the usual release bar, such as is disclosed in the patent to Shipley, No. 1,602,596, issued October 12, 1926. Such a machine release bar is illustrated in Fig. 2 of the present application, and is removably mounted on a slide 51 supported on studs" 52 projecting from a cash register frame 53, a fragment of which appears in'Figs. 2 and 3. A spring, not shown, is adapted to normally hold the machine release ,bar 50 in its undepressed position and to return the bar to its normal undepressed position near the end of each operation of the machine.

In registers of the type which severs aportion of the inserted slip and retains the severed portion in. a receptacle provided for that purpose, no means has been provided struction of the bottom ofthe voucher recepheretofore, to warn the operator when the voucher receptacle was filled to capacity, or to prevent overfilling the receptacle, which latter usually results in balling up the mechanism and damaging the machine, or at least putting it out of operation until the obstructions have been removed and the parts replaced in their normal positions.

The present invention overcomes these objections and undesirable features, by providing automatic mechanism which, when the voucher receptacle is filled to its capacity, will lock the motor release or machine release bar against depression. This, of course, prevents release of the machine for operation until the vouchers have been removed from the receptacle and the receptacle readjusted. For a complete description of themotor release bar and its associated mechanism, by which the machine is released for operation, reference may be had to the patent to Shipley, No. 1,602,596, issued October 12, 1926.

Voucher receptacle and the partition or, in case vouchers of maximum width are to be accumulated, the partition 35 may be removed and the vouchers stacked between the side walls 33 and 34. In the illustration (Fig. 1), however, the storage receptacle is prepared to receive severed vouchers'of a smaller size.

The vouchers are fed one by one into the upper open end of the receptacle by any conventional severing and placing means, preferably of the type disclosed in the patent to Shipley, No. 1,524,755, issued February 3, 1925, or in his application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 345,054, filed March 7, 1929, and are supported on a frictionally held platform comprising angular plates 36 and 37, the vertical angles of which carry opposed telescopic studs and 41 about which are coiled springs 38 and 39, which press the vertical faces of the plates 36 and 37 against the side wall 33 and the partition 35, respectively. The telescopic studs 40 and 41 are fast to the plates 36 and 37 by elongated flanges 47 and 48 (Fig. 5). v

At the beginning of the operation, the yieldable platform comprised of the plates 36 and 37 is located at or near the upper open end of the receptacle and just below the inturned ends of stripping and retaining fingers mounted on rocking shafts 46.

The record material (not shown) from which the vouchers are severed, is fed over the upper open end of the storage receptacle and between it and a stacker plate 42 carried by arms 43 fast on a rod 44 suitably supported in the machine.

As the voucher section is severed from the body portion of the record material, the stacker arms rock downwardly to press the voucher down into the open mouth of the storage receptacle 30, the stripping and retaining fingers 45 automatically rocking backwardly out of the way of the voucher and stacker plate, the first voucher being placed fiat upon the upper face of the yielding platform plates 36 and 37 and the subsequent vouchers being piled on top thereof. The fingers 45 rock to restore their inturned ends over the opening of the storage receptacle, as the stacker plate 42 rises, to prevent the voucher from rising with the stacker plate and to re tain the uppermost vouchers of the pile flatwise.

As the vouchers are stacked in the receptacle, the platform plates 36 and 37 are crowded downwardly in the compartment between the side wall 33 and the partition 35, due to the pressure of the stacker plate 42 (which has a constanttravel at each operation of the machine) as it presses'the voucher last severed onto the top of the pile of vouchers in the storage receptacle.

The means for severing the vouchers, and for operating the severing means, the stacker plate 42 and the retaining fingers 45, are exactly like those shown and described in the application of Shipley, Serial No. 345,054,

filed hfarch 7, 1929, to which reference has heretofore been made.

As the platform consisting of the plates 36 and 37 nears the limit of its downward travel, it is arranged to operate mechanism to lock the machine against release, thus compelling the operator to remove the accumulated vouchers from the receptacle, and to read just the platform plates 36 and 37 to a position near the open top of the receptacle, preparatory to accumulating another pile of vouchers.

Release bar locking mechanism Obviously, if the machine release bar ceptacle, operate mechanism to obstruct depression of the release bar 50, thereby preventing operation of the machine until the platform is raised in its compartment.

The vertical angle of the plate 36, as it approaches the bottom of its compartment, en-

.- normally holds the projection at the upper end of the slot.

The shaft 56, on its counter-clockwise travel, rocks an arm 58 eccentrically secured thereon in counter-clockwise direction, to raise a long link 59 pivotally connected at its lower end by an car 60, bent at right angles thereto, to the free end of the arm 58. this arm 58 is mounted eccentrically on the shaft 56 to avoid contact-with the bottom of the receptacle.

An extension 61 at the upper end of the link 59, and bent at right angles thereto, is

pivotally connected to an arm 62 fast on a stub shaft 63. The shaft 63 is journaled in a bracket 64: secured to a printer frame 7 O, suitably supported on the machine base (not shown), and by the register frame 53.

A thrust link 7 pivotally connected at its lower end to a crank 76 fast on the stub shaft 63, is slotted at its upper end, as at 74:, to

embrace a pin 71 projecting laterally from a blocking arm 72 journaled on a stud 73 on the frame 53.

lVhen the shaft56 rocks counter-clockwise under the influence of the descending voucher platform plates 36 and 37, the arm 58 raises the link 59 and rocks the arm 62, stub shaft 63 and arm 76 clockwise, to shift the thrust link 75 lengthwise towards the blocking arm 72. During the first part of this movement the thrust link 75 slides idlyover the pin 71 until the end wall of the slot 7 4 strikes the pin 71, whereupon the thrust link 75 rotates the blocking arm 72 clockwise. A spring 77, having one of its ends attached to an arm 78 journaled on the stud 73 and connected by a yoke 7 9 to the blocking arm 72, normally e1:- erts its tension along a line on one side of the pivotal point of the arm 72 and 78, and tends to hold the arms 72and 78 in the positions in which they appear in Fig. 2, but when, on its clockwise movement, the arm 78 passes the dead point at which the spring 77 is pulling against its center, the spring acts to rock thearms 78 and 72 quickly clockwise, to position the end of the blocking arm 72 in the path of a stud 8O projecting from the slide 51, in which position the arm 72 effectively blocks depression of the machine release bar 50.

This, of course, warns the operator that the storage capacity of the voucher receptacle has been reached, and the operator may then remove the vouchers and raise the platform plates 36 and 37. VVhenthis is done,

the spring 57: (Figs. 1 and 4) restores the arm 55, shaft 56, and arm 58 clockwise, to lower the link 59, and rock the arm 62, shaft 63 and arm 76 counter-clockwise to withdraw the thrust link 75. The link 75, on its withdrawal to normal position, rocks the arms 72 and 78 counter-clockwise until the arm 78 passes dead center, whereupon the spring 77 acts to rotate the arms 72 and 78 rapidly counter-clockwise until the yoke 79 strikes, and is arrested by a bracket 81 supported on the inner stud 52 and on'the stud 73. The pin and slot connection 71, 74 permits the throw of the blocking arm 72 relatively to its thrust link 75 in shifting into and out of effective position. The blocking arm 72, on its counter-clockwise travel, withdraws from the path of the stud 80, to free the machine release bar 50, which may now bedepressed to release the register or accounting machine for operation.- v

From the foregoing, it is obvious that the invention comprises a normally idle lock for the machine, and automatically controlled means to shift the lock towards and snap it into effective position. z

The snapping of thellockfroman idle to an immediately and fully-effective position constitutes an important part of the invention.

The building up of the pile of vouchers imparts very slight increments of movement to the platform which, under such circumstances, is theoretically shifted by the thickness of the voucher only, at each operation of the machine- 7 g If, therefore, the slight successive incrementsof movement thus imparted to the locking mechanism should be solely relied upon to, shift the lock to effective position, it is plain that at the time the lock is almost effective, there would be several operations" on which the stud would simply tick against the corner of the locking arm 72, creating resistance which would gradually increase with each succeeding operatiomuntil the arm 72 finally lays so far in the path of the stud as to prevent depression of th'ekey 50.

By arranging to snap the arresting or locking arm 72 quickly from an idle position into a fully effective position, the foregoing disadvantage is overcome.

The time at which the locking mechanism shall betripped can be readily varied, by varying the angular relation of the arm-s 55 and 58 (Figs. 2 and 4).

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirably adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, itis to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form or embodiment herein disclosed, for it susceptibleof embodiment in various forms'all coming within the scope of the claimswhich follow.

What is claimed as new, is:

1. The combination with a voucher receptacle; and means to deposit vouchers in the receptacle; of a movable support for the vouchers in the receptacle; a machine release key; means under the control of the support to prevent movement of the key to release the machine; and an element intermediate the support and the means to snap the means into effective position after the means reaches a certain p osition. V

2. The combination with a voucher receptacle; and means to deposit vouchers: in a pile in the receptacle; of a support for the vouchers, said support adapted for movement by the pressure of depositing means on the pile of vouchers; a manipulative device; normally idle means to lock the device against effective movement; mechanism operated by the movable voucher support to move the locking means progressively toward its locking position; and means released by said mechanism to complete the movement of the locking means into its locking position.

3. The combination with a voucher receptacle; means to deposit vouchers in a pile infthe receptacle and a manipulative device; of a movable support for the vouchers; frictional means to maintain the support in any of a plurality of positions, the depositing means operating through the pile of vouchers to advance the movable support in one direction; a normally ineffective spring actuated locking means'to lock the manipulative device and means operated by the support when moved into certain of its positions to release the locking means'to enable it to move into position to lock the manipulative device, the spring actuated locking means adapted to move relatively to the last-named means when moved into certain of its positions.

{2. The combination with a voucher receptacle having an adjustable position; and a manipulative device; of a support movably mounted within the receptacle; means to de- .posit vouchers in the receptacle against the support; and to advance the support in one direction; normally ineffective means shiftable to either of its positions, and adapted, when in one of its positions, to block movement of the manipulative device; means under control of the support as it moves in one direction to shift the blocking means towards its effective position; and means to snap the blocking means to its fully effective position relatively to its shifting means.

5. The combination with a storage receptacle for record material elements; a support for the elements movably mounted in the receptacle; and a manipulative device; of a normally idle lock for the manipulative device; means under the control of the'mov able support to shift the lock towards its effective position; and means effective as the lock reaches a predetermined point in its travel, to complete the shifting movement.

6. The combination with a storage receptacle for record material elements; means to deposit the elements in the receptacle; a support movably mounted in the receptacle; and a manipulative device; of a shiftable looking member normally ineffective to prevent operation of the manipulative device a thrust member under control of the movable support to shift the locking member and a spring normally tending to hold the locking member in ineffective position, and operating as the locking member shifts past a predetermined position to snap the locking member to its fully effective position.

7. The combination with a storage receptacle forrecord material elements; means to deposit the elements in the storage receptacle; a support movably mounted in the receptacle and crowded in one direction as the receptacle fills with elements; and a manipulative device; of a normally idle lock for the manipulative device; a thrust member under control of the movable support, and having a lost motion connection with the lock, to shift the latter in one direction; and resilient means operable to shift the lock to its effective or ineffective position depending upon the direction of travel of the lock.

8. The combination with a storage receptacle for record material elements; means to deposit the elements in the receptacle; a support movably mounted in the receptacle; and a manipulative device; of a normally-ineffective lock for the manipulative device; a

thrust member under control of the movable support, and having a lost motion connection with the lock, to shift the latter in one direction; a resilient means operable toshift combination of machine release means, record controlled means to lock the machine against operation, a linkage intermediate the lock and the record material to progressively move the lock toward its locking position, and

and a sprin tocause such relative movement to snap tie lock into lockin position when the lock is moved into a certaln position by the linkage.

11. In a machine of the class described, the combination of machine release means, a pivoted device controlled by record material to lock the machine releasing means, a spring to normally exert pressure along a line on one side of the pivotal point of the lock to maintain the lock in its unlocking position, and a linkage between the lock and the record material to progressively shift the pivoted lock device toward its locking position, the spring adapted to snap the lock device into locking position when the locking device passes the dead point at which the spring is pulling against the pivotal point of the locking device.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

BERNIS M. SHIPLEY. EARL E. HOLT. 

